Elderly admitted in nursing homes near Bucharest, starving, tortured

The police and prosecutors discovered more than 100 elderly people abused by those who were supposed to take care of them, in some nursing homes near Bucharest. They were tortured, forced to work and often left to starve, Digi 24 reports. The police raided dozens of private nursing homes this morning, and the elderly will be taken to hospitals in Bucharest for medical care.

It is about three nursing homes in Ilfov, where the elderly were brought by relatives to be cared for, but who were forced to work and did not receive food or medicine. Instead of being cared for, they were the ones who were forced to care for other old people, even though they too had health problems. Relatives paid between 4,000 and 7,000 lei per month for care.

56 of the old people were taken to hospitals for medical evaluations, and four remained hospitalized.

24 suspects were detained for 24 hours in this investigation.

Police have released a phone number where relatives can call for information: 0743164790.

“The exploitation of these people was done through coercion, through the exercise of acts of violence, through unpaid work, the necessary medication for each person was missing, the food was inadequate and these people were subjected to degrading and inhumane treatments,” said Georgian Drăgan, spokesperson of the Police.

26 suspects in this case and 15 witnesses were taken for hearings at DIICOT. The total damage is estimated at over RON 5.2 million.

The General Directorates of Social Assistance of the Municipality of Bucharest from Districts 3 and Ilfov would have awarded several contracts to an association, which should have taken care of them, but this did not happen. Moreover, the said association did not have an authorization to operate.

Investigators established that, starting from November 2020, in Ilfov county, two organized criminal groups would have been established, with the aim of exploiting people with disabilities or in vulnerable situations, the exploitation of the victims being carried out by subjecting them to inhuman or degrading treatments, through the exploitation of their unpaid work, through coercion and physical violence, the Police announced.

The exploitation would also have been carried out by the lack of sufficient and nutritionally adequate food, by the lack/non-administration of medical treatment appropriate to the diagnosis of each beneficiary, by the lack of care and ensuring the hygiene of the beneficiaries who did not have the physical/mental capacity for self-care, simultaneously with keeping them in a state of enslavement towards the members of organized criminal groups, in order to obtain unjust patrimonial benefits by the leaders of the groups and by the other members.

The elderly were also forced to beg.

A witness said that the conditions in nursing homes resembled the ones in Auschwitz. “I saw them at the fence, begging for food, naked. They were kept naked at the fence. Even in winter they were naked“, said a man, who also said the old people seemed beaten.

A counselor of ex-Bucharest mayoress, Gabriela Firea, led for a period of time the association involved in the investigation regarding the homes near Bucharest where the elderly were abused and kept hungry. However, the Ministry of the Family reports that that councilor resigned in March 2022, and Firea has no connection and no information about this case, the only relationship between the two being “friendship and collegiality”.